Project "Black Betty" (bam-A-lam)

[flips72]

man that's tough, we will be keeping yall in our prayers as well, and that's amazing about your grandmother, 101, you don't hear that every day.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Jeff La

Prayers for your dad and family. Just help him keep a fighting attitude, a will to live is strong against cancer.

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

X2 Sir

Thank you guys. Gonna try my best to keep him fighting. He goes to a cancer specialist on the 10th, along with a kidney doctor soon as well. So we should hopefully have a better idea of what's to come after then.

Originally Posted by flips72

man that's tough, we will be keeping yall in our prayers as well, and that's amazing about your grandmother, 101, you don't hear that every day.

Thanks man. Yep, we all continue to be amazed about my grandmother. She can still see, carry a conversation, & walk with a helping hand. Life is so fragile at any age, but especially when you get as old as her. We're so thankful to have her in pretty good health. My wife thinks there are magical ingredients in that Rooster Snuff she continues to dip.

Not the greatest, but here's a pic from the party. It's me, my wife, my younger brother, & his fiance'.

[likaroc13]

Just thought I'd update you guys. Dad went to the surgeon & cancer doctor on Monday. The surgeon seemed to be pretty confident with what needs to be done, which is remove the right kidney & lymph nodes. There was some concern with another major artery down there that leads to the heart, so another surgeon will be assisting to hopefully take care of that affected area. If everything is successfully removed, there will be no need for treatment. If they do end up needing to do treatment however, it will be done via pills. Surgery is currently scheduled for Oct. 6 unless something changes. The operation should take from 2-5 hours. His recovery in the hospital could be anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks. It'll be at least 8 weeks before he can return to work after surgery. Assuming there are no complications, I feel pretty confident at this point. Just continue to keep him in your prayers, as he still has a tough road ahead.

Thanks so much guys!

[likaroc13]

Went to a cruise-in earlier this month. This is what happens when you invite people to doodle on your old F*rd.


Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

[likaroc13]

Figured I should update you guys. The surgery went well. They completely removed the right kidney & some affected lymph nodes. However, they found more affected areas that weren't anticipated. They removed a spot from his liver, however there were some lymph nodes & spots on the lower back muscle that couldn't be removed. They were located near the spine near a major artery, & it was simply too dangerous to even attempt to remove anything there. They said he would have died if they tried. The cancer they removed was then sent off for biopsy. They hoped it was all kidney cancer related, but would have to wait for results before determining how to treat the remaining cancer spots. Recovery from surgery itself went extremely well. I had gone back for the surgery & ended up staying for about 3 weeks before coming back to SC.

Well after 3 weeks, the biopsy results finally came back on Oct. 30 & threw us all for a loop. The cancer is actually Ewing's Sarcoma, an uncommon (in adults) bone cancer typically affecting young children & adolescents. Here's a link if you wish to read about it:
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/ewings-sarcoma?page=1

Unfortunately they caught it in the later stages, & prognosis is not great. With no treatment, he was given only 2 weeks. The plan though is to treat it aggressively with chemo to see if they can successfully slow down the rapid spreading of the cancer & prolong his life. They'll do treatments every 3 weeks, reevaluating after the second treatment. It's the only hope we have right now. He had his first chemo treatment last week & remained in the hospital most of this week before coming home. He was home for a day & had to go back to the hospital for IV fluids due to dehydration. Yesterday they also found out he has pneumonia in a lung. It's a big concern considering his immunity is so compromised right now. His white blood cell count is very low due to treatments. I just ask for you guys to please keep praying for both he and our family.

On another note, my 101 year old maternal grandmother has also suddenly began to decline in health during the last few weeks following a stroke. She has lived such a long, full life compared to my dad, but it's still tough to deal with as well. I ask that you keep her in your prayers at this time as well.

[likaroc13]

Amongst all the bad news lately, we did get a glimmer of hope & happiness a little over a week ago. My wife had an interview with a company in Franklin, TN on Oct. 24. We rode up together since she had to pick me up from my hometown anyway. Well, they offered her the job. We've been trying to get back closer to home for probably 2 years now, so it's a relief that it's finally happening. Although it couldn't have happened at a crazier time in life. My wife is scheduled to start on Dec. 1, so we only had a month to figure out where we're moving to & coordinating the move itself. We just put in an application for an apartment, so that's taken care of hopefully. We plan to just rent for about 6 months & then look for a house to buy. Considering we've never owned a home yet, that'll be an exciting adventure as well I'm sure. As always, it makes you a bit nervous taking a big step in life. We've been praying about it for a while though, & we know God is placing us where we need to be. Just figured I'd update you guys with a little good news.

[likaroc13]

While the future for "Black Betty" is still uncertain at this point, she's still resting comfortably until I can get her back together. Once we get moved to TN, I'm gonna make sure she's back on the road in 2015. While we were gone for my wife's interview, I snapped some pics of this truck in Michie, TN. My dad always told me the guy would never get rid of the truck. So, it's just been sitting there for many years. Although I've seen it on several occasions through the years, I had never looked at it up close until that day. There's a cover over the seat, which is visibly red in color on the top. This has me wondering if it's the rarely seen red Deluxe seat.


Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

[Alan's Classic]

Thank you for the update. Sorry for the prognosis. Well definitely pray about your father and your move.

Cool pics of the truck.

[clemdaddy]

yeah man, hang in there. you are in our thoughts and prayers. time with your dad is the most important thing now and i hope he can beat it and have quality time with the family. betty can wait...

[duallyjams]

Will be praying for you and family.

[Jeff La]

Prayers continue for you and your family

[greg65]

Your family will be our thoughts and prayers.

Congratulation on the new job and moving closer to home.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Thank you for the update. Sorry for the prognosis. Well definitely pray about your father and your move.

Cool pics of the truck.

Thanks Alan. I told dad that I was thinking about having you do some painting for me. I said it would give me a chance to check out your truck as well. He said, well maybe I can go with you. ....He's not able right now, but just the thought makes me feel good.

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

yeah man, hang in there. you are in our thoughts and prayers. time with your dad is the most important thing now and i hope he can beat it and have quality time with the family. betty can wait...

Thanks Clem. Yeah, I hesitate to even mention Betty anymore & only do so to keep somewhat on topic with my thread. Dad is a big part of the reason for my passion of these old trucks. Hoping that he can get well enough to help me work on her a little more.

Originally Posted by duallyjams

Will be praying for you and family.

Originally Posted by Jeff La

Prayers continue for you and your family

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by greg65

Your family will be our thoughts and prayers.

Congratulation on the new job and moving closer to home.

Thanks Greg.



We got word tonight that my grandmother went to be with the Lord. Hard to imagine living over 101 years, & she was in good health until just before the end. She was a centerpiece of our family & will be dearly missed. Gotta make a trip back to MS this weekend for the visitation/funeral. Gonna lose a day of getting ready for the move next week, since we'll be traveling back to SC most of Monday. Man, life is crazy right now!

[flips72]

So sorry to hear about your grandmother, but really glad to hear where she will be spending her eternity, there's no greater place to be than to be in the presence of the one who gave his life for us. We will be praying for your father and family during these hard times.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by flips72

So sorry to hear about your grandmother, but really glad to hear where she will be spending her eternity, there's no greater place to be than to be in the presence of the one who gave his life for us. We will be praying for your father and family during these hard times.

Thank you sir, & I couldn't agree with you more.

Guys, cancer sucks! Last week I was sent a pic of my dad, & it was a little shocking. I had the opportunity to spend some time with him last night since we were back home for my grandmother's funeral. All of his hair is falling out, which is a normal result of chemo, but I've only seen him maybe two times in my life without facial hair. He's currently down about 50 pounds as well. It breaks my heart to see him looking that way, but his spirits seem pretty good. His back pain has almost diminished to the point that he doesn't need the pain meds, so we hope that's a sign that the treatments are helping. His appetite has been better lately as well, which is a positive. He wants to get himself in good enough health to travel to Houston, TX where the MD Anderson Cancer Center is located. With the rarity of his case, he's hopeful they might be able to help.

[likaroc13]

Figured I should update you guys. To make a long story a bit shorter, here it goes:

After the second round of chemo, dad was hospitalized again due to dehydration. At that same time, he developed pneumonia in one of his lungs. His white blood cell count dropped so low that they put him in isolation. Not long after recovering from that bout, he started having some stomach pain related to bowel blockage. After being hospitalized yet again, they did a scan on his stomach. While they got his bowels working correctly again, sadly they revealed to him that the cancer in his liver had spread. Thinking things were going downhill quickly, we were all very concerned. He had begun planning for his funeral arrangements.

About a week afterward, my dad went back to the cancer doctor. He had requested that they evaluate the scans to determine where he stood regarding the cancer spreading. During our visit, we came to find out that the local hospital had totally misled us all. They were comparing the wrong scans. Based on the numbers, the cancer doc said the results of the most recent scans showed a fairly significant shrinking of the cancer. He then scheduled to meet with the radiologist later that week to evaluate the actual images of the scans, & he confirmed that progress had been made. He said there was 70-90 % improvement between the most recent scans compared to when he was first diagnosed. As you can imagine, this was a huge boost to morale' & a completely new outlook on things.

We met with the doc again, just before the 3rd treatment. Doc was so impressed with the progress that he decided to cut back on the chemo a bit. He did this to try & help keep dad from facing another hospitalization due to getting dehydrated. He had done well so far, even though there are 2-3 days that were pretty rough with nausea. His appetite has improved some, but he still has a hard time eating solid foods. Nothing tastes right, therefore he has no desire to eat. He's been doing protein shakes with ice cream for most of his nutrition, but anything he can eat solid is a benefit on top of that. The doc didn't seem too concerned as long as his weight is staying steady, which it has been. He had actually gained 3 pounds last week. However, he has lost almost 60 pounds since getting sick.

Since we got moved to TN, I have been going down to stay with him some each week. I get to play nurse & chauffeur. He felt really good the two weeks before his 3rd treatment, & he was able to actually get out & do some things. We've been able to get out several times since then as well. At times though, I think his mind forgets how weak his body really is. It's hard to keep a hard-headed man down though, lol. While it's not the best of circumstances, I'm thankful that we're able to spend time together.

He was scheduled to have a PET scan done on the Dec. 30th, just before the 4th treatment the following day. We knew that scan shows much more detail & would really give us a clue as to how things look.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. I took dad to Memphis for the PET scan. I took him back to the local cancer clinic that following Wednesday, Dec. 31, for his 4th scheduled chemo. He was set to meet with the cancer doc beforehand to discuss results of the scan. Doc came in smiling & gave a great report. There was no visible cancer in his lungs anymore, nor no notice of the spots on the lower back muscle. There's 90% improvement in the liver, & it has significantly shrunk in the lymph nodes as well. Doc plans to keep pushing forward without changing anything at this point. He told my dad to continue working on his eating, & he's supposed to schedule a meet with the nutritionist. Right now that's one of the biggest obstacles he has, aside from typical nausea due to chemo. Doc told him to get out & be active as much as possible, living as normal as he can. He isn't putting any restrictions on him. So, just keep praying that we can get his weight & strength back up to par & keep that cancer shrinking. Compared to what we knew in the beginning diagnosis, this is such great news! Just wanted to share with you all.

[Jeff La]

Great news, prayers continue

[jcramsey]

So glad to hear he is making good progress! Thanks for letting us know!

[bj383ss]

That's great news to hear!

[flips72]

that's awesome news, so happy for your family, and I bet dads glad to have you around more and that's probably some of the best medicine he has received still praying for yall.

[duallyjams]

There are things my wife can no longer eat after chemo ( just the smell of it ) plus after all treatments are done it takes 2 full years to get back to 100% full strength.His body will let him know how much he can do and tell him not to push it my wife passed out a couple of times while out on her own while I was at work, yes it's frustrating but he just needs to find the balance of being active but not over doing it.

[C20ELEPHANT]

All the best to your Dad likaroc13 and your Wife duallyjams...

I can tell you this with my diagnosis...Nothing like going through the rest of your life amongst family and friends with an invisible "C" on your forehead and the "look" from them wanting to ask how you're doing, drives me nuts. I can tell you about how I feel, if I tell you I'm doing OK I'm lying....

[Alan's Classic]

Great news!

[likaroc13]

I thought we had a thread somewhere for stuff like this, but I can't seem to find it. So, I figured I would just post it here in my thread. I came across this at a local Hobby Lobby:

[mooseknuckles]

that is killer!